TownePlace Suites And Weber Grills Team Up For Long-Term Guests

Although National Barbecue Month may have come to an end, the official grilling season is here for the long summer months. Last month TownePlace Suites by Marriott and Weber Grills joined forces in Austin to kick off the season and celebrate a big milestone for the hotel brand. This year marked the opening of its 300th hotel — TownePlace Suites by Marriott Austin North/Tech Ridge — and to celebrate, Weber grill master Kevin Kolman was called in to showcase a few recipes he created for the hotel brand.

These recipes cards, exclusive to TownePlace Suites, include crab-and-jalapeño-stuffed avocados and "grilled" sangria, and will be featured in guest rooms at each property across the country.

TownePlace Suites by Marriott is an all-suite, extended-stay hotel brand offering one- and two-bedroom suites with fully equipped kitchens and separate living/working and sleeping areas geared towards those traveling for work, home displacement, or those traveling with families and needing more space.

With the majority of guests staying for longer periods of time, the goal is to make guests comfortable by providing every amenity they might need. "We take pride in enabling our guests to remove the stress from long stays," says Diane Mayer, vice president and global brand manager. "TownePlace Suites offers a casual and friendly environment that helps guests make the most of their time on the road."

In addition to comfortably sized guest rooms (most average 650 square feet), kitchens that offer a two-burner stove, refrigerator and freezer, coffee pot and microwave, cozy communal spaces in and around the lobby, and complimentary breakfasts, the hotel also offers guests access to full-size Weber grills (in more than 100 locations) on the patio so guests can grill up their own meals.

During the celebration in Austin last month, Kolman hosted a friendly battle between two local pitmasters (Sonya Cote and Evan Leroy) and demonstrated how guests can use the grills to prepare creative home-cooked meals while staying on the property. The pitmasters had only 15 minutes to create a recipe using a secret ingredient easily found in the hotel's "In-a-Pinch" market. It was a close battle, but Sonya Cote took the win with her grilled rib-eye topped with a grilled corn and pepper salsa, beating out Leroy's grilled chicken mixed with grilled vegetables and peppers, and tossed with the secret ingredients of ramen noodles and crushed Doritos.

After the showdown, guests were treated to some of the new, out-of-the-box recipes created by Kolman, all of which could be made on the provided grills. My favorite was the grilled sangria, made by grilling pre-cut fruits such as pineapple, strawberries, limes, and peaches, and then mixing them with a chilled bottle of rosé, creating a refreshing summer beverage with a grilled twist. It's a drink I can see myself easily making all summer long, whether staying in the comforts of a hotel like TownePlace Suites or in my own home.